Lally's Alley: APOCALYPTO

Monday, February 18, 2008

APOCALYPTO

Another movie I could have added to my Valentine's Day list, surprisingly. Surprisingly, because it’s another well-done Mel Gibson historical epic.

No matter what you think of Gibson or his not-so-hidden agenda, the guy can sometimes make an epic adventure sing, i.e. BRAVEHEART and APOCALYPTO.

Though not promoted as a love story, that’s what it is. There’s some over-the-top violent scenes, as might be expected from Gibson, but it’s integral to the story and the setting, even if based on some faulty historical speculation, along with the factual stuff.

But the actors (especially the star, Rudy Youngblood) and the action are superb. And the story kept me watching late into the night when I stumbled on the opening of the film just before midnight.

I was looking for a shot of comedy to give me a good mood to sleep on, but instead got hooked on the beautiful filmmaking in this. A movie only a few friends saw when it came out in 2006, but they too were surprised at how much they liked it.

As I was. And if you haven’t seen it yet, you may be too when you do.

5 comments:

Jesse Wilson said...: Thanks for the post Michael, I have heard good things about this movie too. I will check it out! Also, have you seen the new show Breaking Bad on AMC? It's awesome. My favorite show aside from The Wire.; February 19, 2008 at 1:18:00 PM EST
Lally said...: I only caught a piece of Breaking Bad so can't respond yet, but will try to catch it on your recommendation Jesse. But Apocalypto was on again last night and I watched some of it and was as mesmerized by it as I was the first time. That's the definition of "classic" for me.; February 20, 2008 at 11:56:00 AM EST
AlamedaTom said...: Lal, I'm so happy to see you dug this movie. I loved it, despite my current negative vibes about Mel. You are right: It's a classic example of love and devotion and the lengths a human being will exert/endure to honor it.

Query: was there ever an instant in the movie after his family went into the pit that you weren't thinking about them in the back of your mind and wondering/hoping over their ultimate fate? Great movie-making.

But on that subject, do we have a right to judge an artist's "art" based on his/her personal beliefs? I'll be the first to admit that I have looked on Gibson's later works in the light of his screwed up religious beliefs. I'm probably wrong to do that, but is there a line that ultimately must be drawn? For example, Wagner, pointedly donned gloves at a concert he was conducting when the Mendelssohn selection was played -- Mendelssohn was a Jew, and he was conducting the piece under protest.

In spite of my knowledge of Wagner's rampant antisemitism, and my knowledge of Mel's weirdo similar beliefs, Wagner's music still sends glorious chills up my spine, and Mel's movies still give me visceral rewards (except for Jesus thang, which is basically S&M for repressed born-agains). So, do we draw any lines?

T.; February 20, 2008 at 5:37:00 PM EST
Lally said...: Yeah, that's always been a quandry. I stopped reading T. S. Eliot for a while in the 1960s, and others, because of what I took to be their unrepentant racism and anti-semitism etc.(unlike Ezra Pound who seemed to have tried to make amends with his years of public silence over what he called "the suburban sin" of his anti-semitism). But after a while I realized that Eliot's writing had had a profound impact on me, despite my distatse for some of his beliefs and even some of what his poetry represented technically and traditionally, etc. But who am I to throw the first stone? And what do I know of what's in another's heart and soul? If the art seems to, or genuinely does, transcend the artist's shortcomings, whatever they may be, who am I to judge? I just had a discussion about this with some women friends concerning Woody Allen post the whole Sun Yi debacle. I saw that documentary MAD DOG BLUES or whatever it wasd called on Woody and they seemed pretty compatible as a couple and she seemed pretty content and what doi I know? I know I love most of Woody's movies, most of Eliot's and Pound's poetry. I felt self-righteous for banning them when I was young from my reading regimine for awhile, but I championed William Carlos Williams, despite the fact he obviously cheated on his wife, etc. We are all human, and great art seems to me to illustrate the heights and the depths we can reach in our contrary natures, and maybe some times it takes someone who has experienced those extremes to really capture them. In the end, I am totally anti-censorship, except for protecting small children from too graphic violence and hatred. But then there's always the Brothers Grimm!; February 20, 2008 at 9:48:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: If you like this movie, then you are gonna love watching the director/screenwriter commentary version of it.; February 22, 2008 at 2:15:00 PM EST